I turned a deaf ear to all Super Bowl coverage the past two weeks because a lack of interest. The Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers match up bored me and I didn’t bite on the Taylor Swift stuff. But come yesterday afternoon, I had built up enough energy to sit down on my parents’ couch to absorb four hours of pure Americana and eat meatball sandwiches. Ready or not, here I come with my hot takes and unsolicited opinions on the game, anthem, commercials, and halftime show. Aren’t you lucky? 😂

The Game: To be honest, I was close to falling asleep in the third quarter. I enjoy a defensive battle as much as the next football fan, but this particular game seemed to lack the intensity and hard hits of other low-scoring championship battles. But with the contest close in the fourth quarter, the excitement picked up. Some clutch kicks had me sitting on the edge of my parents’ chair and overtime proved equally as gripping—if only the game-winning touchdown didn’t seem as anticlimactic. Although OT is cool to see in a Super Bowl, this game doesn’t come close to garnering “classic” status.

Field goal kickers contributed a lot to Super Bowl LVIII (Photo courtesy of Steph Chambers).

The Anthem: I am a Reba McEntire fan and was delighted she was chosen to perform the Star Spangled Banner. No one makes singing look easier than Reba and that one-of-a-kind talent was displayed during her performance. She sang the anthem in her signature seemingly effortless style. My one critique is that the background track was a little too loud as it drowned out Reba a bit. But I do feel that her rendition was smooth, respectful, and worthy of the world’s biggest stage.

I thought choosing Reba to sing the National Anthem was genius (photo courtesy of Jamie Squire).

The Commercials: I am notorious for heralding Super Bowl commercials that convey meaning and go beyond slapstick. With that said, I have three ads that I think made the most impact. The first was the Oreo “twist on it” spot. The idea is that you can make a decision, just like flipping a coin, based on what side the white stuff of the Oreo is on. Practical and fun, I thought this was pretty savvy. Although touching commercials were in short supply, I thought the Google Pixel ad that showcased the guided frame feature was excellent. It gave the viewer the POV of a blind person while telling a story. The surprise ending may have made this blogger’s eyes water just a little. Then there was the Poppi soda spot! I had never heard of Poppi until last night but it definitely won the award for nailing GenZ marketing. The commercial was colorful, retro, and engaging. The use of graphics and overlaid block text was superb. In fact, I think the commercial was so effective that it won’t just be teenagers and young adults drinking Poppi this morning—I want to get my hands on a can too!

I thought the Poppi spot knocked it out of the park with its targeting of the GenZ audience.

Besides the impactful, well-done ads, I also want to give a shout to the commercials that made me smile simply because I like the people and products. Never did I think Aubrey Plaza would be pitching Baja Blast but I loved seeing her deadpan self “having a blast” as “America’s Sweetheart.” Then there was the commercial that promoted my family’s “candy of the summer”—Nerd Clusters! It was fun to watch the animated Nerds fall on the gummy blob as it performed a Flashdance sequence. And then I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the State Farm spot with Arnold Schwarzenegger. I loved how he could poke fun at his accent (like a good “neighbaaa”) but I didn’t necessarily think Danny DeVito’s cameo was needed.

I enjoyed watching Aubrey Plaza star in a Super Bowl commercial.

Finally, I think it is worth mentioning the two commercials that caused the people at my Super Bowl gathering to literally laugh out loud: the Reese’s Caramel Big Cup spot (people reacting with exaggerated disappointment and glee to an announcer’s prompt) and the Hellmann’s Mayo cat spot (a cat becomes an influencer because it can talk). I laughed along with everyone else for the Reese’s commercial but just felt sick to my stomach when I watched Kate McKinnon eat mayonnaise out of the jar.

The Reese’s commercial made everyone laugh at our Super Bowl gathering.

The Halftime Show: I have nothing against Usher, his music is a backdrop to my high school and college years, but I wasn’t that entertained by the halftime show. I think the set just started off too slow and Usher’s audio seemed off. However, to his credit, Usher got on track and seemed to make the most of his shot at the world’s greatest gig. After my disappointment of no surprise guests over the past couple years, I was happy to see three—Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Lil’ Jon. On my report card, Usher earned points for sliding under that dude’s legs on roller skates but lost points for needlessly taking off his shirt (while probably winning them from most females in America). I give this year’s halftime show a C.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the halftime show but enjoyed seeing some surprise guests (photo courtesy of Steph Chambers).

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Hope everyone is feeling okay this morning! Enjoy your water cooler discussions and special congrats to all the Kansas City Chiefs (and Taylor Swift) fans out there. Don’t Blink.

Past Super Bowl Commentary
Super Bowl LVII
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl 50
Super Bowl XLIX